Recognizing Opportunities

Last week I celebrated my 31st birthday. My lovely and loving wife bought me the Lego Walle set that I have had my eyes on since I learned of its existence.

I spent several fun hours with this build and am happy with the result. I really do like the Pixar film Walle and I feel there is much to learn from it. For example, Walle has awakened to a realization that life on his deserted planet is somewhat drab. He continues to work hard going through the motions and striving to collect and crush garbage – but he has started to notice intricate and worthwhile finds while digging trash and junk.

He has quite the collection of intricate items that caught his eye and made him think. He then finds the plant which is very different from all his other finds and because he collects it – his hobby – it soon opens wondrous doors of opportunity.

He takes action. When Eva shows up Walle is terrified at first, but is curios and excited to see something that moves so gracefully. He takes charge of fear and almost gets blown to smithereens. I like the fact that he faces change head on and realizes he does not want to petal backwards to curbing junk anymore. He moves forward by making a split second decision to grab on to the rocket and hold on for dear life!

At the moment it Walle was not thinking about how stupid it is to ride a rocket. His goal was to see Eva again, and not be left alone.

Change has a tendency to happen quickly. So does opportunity.

So how does one learn to recognize opportunity? This has been a question at the forefront of my mind. I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau – I think I have shared it recently, but it’s worth sharing again;

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”

The way to recognize opportunity is to start doing things. I read a great book entitled The Power of Starting Something Stupid, by Richie Norton. He goes into details about how opportunities start to abound when you start. The power of starting is real. If you feel like you are not going where you want to go, if you feel like you aren’t living the life you thought you would have, start something new.

Opportunities certainly do abound right where you are. Just learn how to start doing and stop talking about doing. There is power in taking action and making decisions quickly. When you do decide to act, change can and will happen fast. That is why opportunity can be so elusive at times – it is always changing. When you decide to act, then opportunities line up in front of you.

Think about the blessings you have, be grateful. Gratitude is a key to recognizing opportunities. When you are grateful you have a tendency to look at each situation differently – with an eye of optimism. Optimism is the secret to recognizing opportunity. Where others will miss it because of pessimism and disbelief, you can be optimistic and take the action steps required to make it happen. Being optimistic dispels notions of fear. You will still feel fear, but instead of being debilitating, this fear will lead you to action.